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Are Quasars Local or Cosmological ?

Abstract

THE debate about the distances of the quasars resembles in many ways the nineteenth century debate on the nebulae. One of the chief defining characteristics used, that of being stellar in appearance, is apparent rather than intrinsic. And rather compelling arguments have been advanced to show both that quasars are at the large distances implied by a cosmological interpretation of their redshifts (continuity with radio-galaxies1,2, association with cluster of same redshift3) and that they are comparatively weak, nearby objects (continuity with Seyfert nuclei4,5, associations with foreground galaxies6, the anomalous 1.95 redshift7, rapid lateral motions8 in 3C 273 and 279, anisotropic distribution on the sky9).

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ROWAN-ROBINSON, M. Are Quasars Local or Cosmological ?. Nature 236, 112–114 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/236112a0

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